Religious liberty has become call to action for conservatives

In the wake of court rulings on same-sex marriage, political observers have been connecting the dots between religious groups and political conservatives, and many say religious liberty has emerged as the new rallying cry for the religious right.

In the wake of court rulings on same-sex marriage, political observers have been connecting the dots between religious groups and political conservatives, and many say religious liberty has emerged as the new rallying cry for the religious right.

In the wake of court rulings on same-sex marriage, political observers and journalists have been connecting the dots between religious groups and political conservatives, and many conclude that religious liberty has emerged as the new rallying cry for the religious right.

In addition to same-sex marriage, they say, Obamacare's contraception mandate, reports of a crackdown on Christian-speak in the armed services and a growing trend of local anti-discrimination ordinances protecting the LGBT community are the new battles in a longstanding culture war that had historically targeted religious expression in schools and on government property.

The latest news report analyzing this new conservative strategy came from BuzzFeed political writer McKay Coppins, who spoke to GOP politicians and activists and learned that prominent Republicans have spent the past year reframing the conservative social agenda.

"In speeches, interviews, and op-eds, savvy culture warriors have abandoned the fervent rhetoric of the ’80s and ’90s that used to cast conservatives as champions of virtue, enemies of vice, and saviors of American society: That battle, many conservatives conceded to BuzzFeed, is lost. Instead, their new message centers on ensuring that the rights of religious institutions and believers aren’t trampled under a stampede of secularism."

"The document is a statement of shared principles and a common approach to politics and public policy for the foreseeable future. It focuses on three interrelated values: 'sanctity of life,' 'traditional marriage,' and 'religious freedom.' Invoking Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous Letter from a Birmingham Jail, (the declaration) calls for 'resistance to the point of civil disobedience against any legislation that might implicate their churches or charities in abortion, embryo-destructive research or same-sex marriage.’ ”

While both Coppins and Clarkson couched their analyses in political terms — strategies to reignite voter bases and forge alliances between theologically opposed faith groups — the Heritage Foundation's Ryan Anderson wrote in the National Review that threats to religious liberty are real, with same-sex marriage the most eminent.

His piece explains a snowball effect of legalizing same-sex marriage that has already started to bury the free speech and exercise rights of those who support traditional marriage.

"Policy should prohibit the government or anyone who receives taxpayers’ dollars from discriminating in employment, licensing, accreditation, or contracting against those who believe marriage is the union of a man and a woman," Anderson wrote.

Same-sex marriage advocates are using that same language to convince local and state governments to amend their anti-discrimination laws to protect gays, lesbians, bisexuals and the transgendered. The latest effort to capture media attention is in San Antonio, where a proposed ordinance would prohibit the government appointment of someone who showed any past bias in "word or deed" against a gay person.

But the lead sponsor of the ordinance, City Councilman Diego Bernal, has agreed to remove the "word or deed" language because of the firestorm of opposition it caused. But he told MediaMatters.org that he could still vote against an appointee based on something the person said or did relating to sexual orientation.

"I can do that without that provision. I can not vote for you because I don't like your shoes," Barnal said. "That's sort of the discretion authority that the council already has. And it's the current law."

I agree completely with Tyler D. Those who complain about having lost religious
freedom were nowhere to be found when same-sex couples were denied their right
to marry, even if their religion permitted it. Why were the complainers not out
there
More..

1:44 p.m. Aug. 5, 2013

Top comment

Abeille

West Haven, Utah

Tyler D, The Skeptical Chymist:

You've to be kidding, right?? Do
you honestly believe that '...there are exactly zero instances in the U.S.
of anyone's religious liberties being infringed.'??

Matt is an enterprise team editor. Before, he wrote about faith how it is lived, how it intersects with society and how current trends affect religious practice. He has worked for more than 12 years as an editor, most more ..